Relatively small components such as electronic devices are frequently manufactured on a manual or automated assembly line having various manufacturing stations. Small components being manufactured on an assembly line are often placed on a carrier that can be moved by a conveyor to the various manufacturing stations. The carriers typically have an insert configured to hold the component stable during manufacturing. Inserts can be configured to hold a component by creating a negative shape of the component in the insert. Inserts are typically dedicated to a specific component and are not easily reconfigurable for different components. A manufacturing facility using dedicated inserts typically maintains an inventory of a variety of insert configurations, so inserts can be rapidly changed for different components. Maintaining an inventory of insert requires space, handling, and management of the dedicated inserts. With dedicated inserts, manufacturing delays can be created when switching to new components because often a new custom dedicated insert is built off-site and must be delivered to the manufacturing facility creating. Additionally, adjustments to the dedicated insert may require the dedicated insert to be transported off-site and the dedicated insert then returned to the manufacturing facility.
Some previous carrier inserts have been configured to hold many sub-components, such as semiconductor devices, for manufacturing as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,476 “Universal carrier tray” by Anderson et al. (5 Nov. 2002) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,821 “Holder assembly for miniature electronic components and methods of fabrication” by LaBarbara et al. (8 Jul. 1986).
For the foregoing reasons, what is need is an insert for a manufacturing carrier that can be configured and reconfigured for a variety of components.